What We Are: One Shots
by rainydaze00
Summary: They are young, confused, complicated and in love. Although the universe wants to rip them apart, they'll do whatever it takes to hold on. Prequel stories to 'Be With Me'...I recommend reading it first to understand the relationship dynamic between Connie and Guy in these one shots. Mighty Ducks is the property of Disney.
1. Again and Again

"Who wants a shot of tequila?!"

A chorus of me's and I do's drowned out the loud-blasting party music that vibrated through the house. On that cue, a tipsy Dean Portman started pouring the golden liquid into small plastic cups one after the another, making enough for at least 10 people.

It was Saturday night and senior Rob Holloway, one of Eden Hall's wealthiest kids, was throwing another one of his notorious house parties filled with booze, drugs, and of course, dozens of reckless teenagers. It's no secret that the now-junior Ducks were among the party-goers. The reputation as the school's leading sports team opened doors for the endless amounts of partying that came their way, although they were still somewhat of a black sheep among their preppy peers. Nevertheless, Eden Hall got to see a side of the team that went beyond ice skates and goals. With Dean and Fulton pouring drinks and chatting up the ladies, Julie schooling a couple of stuck up preppies, and Goldberg and the rest of the gang stirring up some trouble somewhere in the million dollar mansion, any late night party was bound to head in an interesting direction.

"Hey Portman, how many have you chugged already?" Charlie snickered beside him with slightly droopy eyes.

"Only four but I'm just getting started!" He stumbled closer towards his captain to give him a high five. Instead, his bumbling walk brought him crashing into the girls he was flirting with, resulting in loud shrieks.

"Damn it! You got tequila on my shirt!" one of them yelled. She grabbed her friend and they both walked away with a huff. Charlie, Adam and Luis witnessed the tragedy and couldn't stifle their drunken immature reactions.

"Good going, man" Luis slapped him on the back with a heavy hand. "Now if you losers will excuse me, I'm gonna go make the rounds." He stumbled off into the living room full of cheerleaders. As he made his way towards the girls, he bumped into a certain blonde, blue-eyed boy who helped the speedster regain his balance.

"You okay, man?" Guy asked Luis with a chuckle and lifted him up against the wall.

"Guy, my man. Thanks for breaking my fall...you're toooo kind...why you so pretty for man?" Luis slurred with a goofy smile and playfully smacked his teammate in the face with one hand. "No wonder Connie likes you so much." Without any warning, the speedster grabbed Guy's face in both of his hands and planted a sloppy kiss on his cheek. Guy's eyes widened. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Charlie, Adam, and Portman bursting with laughter at the scene in front of them. Not wanting to offend an inebriated Luis, he just laughed disgustedly and slowly pushed him towards the living room full of girls.

"Okay Romeo, that's enough. Go talk to some who might actually be interested in you," Guy nudged with one hand. Luis walks away, throwing a peace sign in the air in agreement.

"Stop laughing at me, you idiots" Guy remarked with red cheeks as he approached his three teammates who were trying to regain their breath. "Luis is wasted."

"Well, to be fair, who isn't wasted at this party?" Portman asked rhetorically.

"I've got an idea. His name rhymes with 'bee,'" Charlie pointed his finger in Guy's face and pushed his nose lightly. "Ain't that right?" Charlie laughed and took another swig of his beer.

"Ha ha ha. Well one of us has to to be sober in case a Duck gets out of hand," Guy rolled his eyes and drank from his cup of soda. "Don't ask me to drink and drive Conway."

Adam, who was only a bit tipsy, piped in, putting his arm around Guy's neck. "Or it could be the fact that youuu, Mr. Germaine, just don't like da taste of alcohol. Admit it." Charlie and Portman snickered.

Before Guy could even respond, his eyes landed on the petite brunette that just walked through the door. She wore a black 3/4 sleeve shirt, a pair of white washed jeans, and let her long dark hair breathe in the air. After seven years, the sight of her still tugged at Guy's heart. When their eyes met, Guy waved her over with a small side nod.

Having caught sight of Connie's arrival, Portman put his elbow on Guy's shoulder and watched her come their way. "I dunno how you do it man...the whole best friend/on and off thing. With a girl like that, I would never be able to stay away." He finished with a tequila shot.

Guy turned his head to look at Portman with an curious yet "test me" expression. He saw that neither Charlie or Adam disagreed with Portman.

"Hey man, I'm just sayin!" the enforcer raised his hands innocently. Guy shook his head with a snort and smiled shyly as _the_ girl approached them.

"Hey Connie!" the all said.

"Hi boys, whatcha drinking?" Connie cheerfully asked.

"Beer."

"Tequila."

"Gin and tonic."

"Soda."

Connie laughed at the variety of responses. She looked up at Guy. "I'm guessing you're the designated driver tonight...?"

"Unfortunately..." he sighed in mock disappointment causing the brunette to pat his shoulder in pity.

"Speakin' of drinks, I needa make some more. Another round?!" Portman asked everyone around him. They responded wildly. "Cons, you want one too?"

"Yea sure. Give me the best thing you got Portman. And don't let me down." Connie challenged him. Portman laughed and blasted the music volume. As he, Charlie and Adam turned their attention to the drink table, the conversation between the best friends ensued.

"So how was work?" Guy asked close to her ear so she could hear him above the music.

"It was a long shift. Dozens of people came in to watch the premiere of that new movie. I was on my feet all day. I'm pretty exhausted," Connie gave a tired pouty face to the blonde boy. "I'll spend all day on the ice but can barely stand around ripping tickets and cleaning popcorn."

Guy chuckled. "Well, look around, Velvet Hammer. Only fun is to be had here tonight."

"I'm not so sure how much fun you'll be having with your soda," she teased, placing both hands over her heart to feign sorrow. "I truly feel sorry for you."

"Well, watching all of you make fools of yourselves is enough entertainment for me anyway," Guy shot back playfully.

She chuckled. "I don't even know how long I'll last this time. I'm pretty tired," Connie yawned and blinked.

Guy touched her elbow. "Just say the word and I'll take you home."

Connie reached up and pecked his cheek. "You got it."

* * *

The party continued on full blast. It was now close to two in the morning and crowds of people were either dancing, doing keg stands, or breaking furniture. A few were sneaking away to unoccupied rooms.

Luis, Dwayne, Kenny, and Russ were putting on an entertaining game of beer pong. Neither team knew who was winning. They consumed too much alcohol to keep track. Portman and Fulton kept busy on the dance floor with a couple of girls. Charlie and Julie were playing Adam and Goldberg at the foosball table, although their behavior was no better than that of the beer pong crew. Guy leaned against the wall that was parallel to the table, getting a full view of the foosball match. He cheered and occasionally interrupted the game by stealing the ball. Yet, no one notice since they were all too wasted to realize it.

"Who's winning?" Connie asked him as she brought over two cups, one alcoholic and the other non-alcoholic. She handed Guy the latter and took a sip of her own drink.

"Who knows?" he laughed. He took his hand out of his pocket and held something up for her to see.

She burst into laughter and grabbed it from his hand to toss into the table. She turned towards him again. "You're evil."

"I couldn't help it," Guy chuckled. "It's too easy."

She shook her head with a smile and turned her body towards the game as the foursome started to play again. Almost instinctively, Guy slid his right arm around her waist and slowly pulled her back in towards him. She leaned against his chest and laid the back of her on Guy's shoulder. Connie didn't protest a single action. So many times, they craved each other's touch. Every time they debated whether or not it's something they should be doing. But in moments like this where everyone was in their own world, neither Connie or Guy could resist knowing no one was really paying enough attention to judge.

He took a sip from the soda in his left hand then moved his lips to her temple and kissed it. "Falling asleep yet?"

Without turning to look at him, she shook her head. "I could go on for a little more." Guy tightened his grip on her as she place her arm over his. He stroked the side of her waist with his thumb.

"How much have you had to drink so far?" he asked, taking another sip of his non-alcoholic beverage. "I bet your head's having a little party right about now..." he joked with her.

Connie readjusted her head so that she was turned in towards his face. "Well Germaine, I haven't had nearly as much as I could take. You know me. They don't call me the Velvet Hammer for nothing."

"They should call you the Velvet Drunk after what happened last time. Remember?" he chuckled recalling the time Connie drank enough beer for a hockey team, so to speak. The morning after she woke up with the worse hangover possible and called Guy to complain and made him promise not to let her never touch alcohol ever again. Like the good friend that he was, he "promised" and came over to make sure Connie didn't puke everywhere.

Connie slapped the arm that was now loosely around her waist. "How could I forget? It was the worst. You didn't even keep your promise. Thanks to you, I'm working on my sixth drink."

"Well we all know it'll take more than six drinks to ruin you," he nipped at the spot behind her ear. Guy knew she was already a little tipsy but that meant teasing her would be more fun for the both of them. "Besides, I couldn't keep you away from your one true love... booze," he whispered closely. She melted even more into his embrace and laughed a little. He took the opportunity to wrap his free arm across her collarbone and shoulders.

"You know me too well," Connie laughed and accepted the soft kiss to her neck. "Besides, I've always got my trusty caretaker to look after me the morning after."

"Mhmm...give you some aspirin, put on a cold shower, and maybe give you some more aspirin. That does sound like a nice job," Guy joked into her ear.

"On second thought, maybe number seven isn't such a good idea after all," Connie turned around to face him with his arms loosely wrapped around her.

"Oh, well that's too bad. I was kinda hoping to spend a lazy day with the Velvet Hammer," he responded with feigned disappointment. Their faces were inches apart from each other.

Connie looked into his eyes playfully. "No one says you can't." She stretched both her arms behind her to grab his hands which were resting on her back. Their noses were touching as she intertwined her fingers with his.

"Well I guess I'll have to take that as an invitation," Guy smiled slightly, repressing the urge to steal her away then and there. He nuzzled her nose with his and pressed his lips inwards to fight the temptation to kiss her that was burning inside him.

Connie pushed her face upward and closed her eyes. Realizing how intimate they were being, she knew kissing him would only make her want more and therefore, doubt the temporary setup their relationship was 'supposed' to have. "Guy, as much as I want to right now..."

Before she could pull her head away, he cut her off. "I know," he said softly. "It's okay." He brought their connected hands up to his lips to kiss her knuckles before letting them drop to their sides. Connie gave him a small, disappointed smile, expressing the sentiment towards the situation that their relationship was in. They knew that a moment as simple as a kiss would complicate things.

Once the two separated, they turned their attention back to the game of foosball. Connie noticed that Julie was missing from the table. She looked around the crowd but couldn't see through the masses of people. It took a moment for Connie's eyes to land on the blonde sleeping in one of the nearby sofas.

"Uh oh," she sighed as Guy looked at her. "I guess I've gotta go play mommy now," she pointed to her fellow teammate slumped on the sofa.

Knowing Connie had a good amount to drink, Guy offered his help, mainly because he didn't want anything to happen to her as a result of helping Julie. "You want me to take this one?" Guy asked and put his drink down on the floor. "She might be too heavy to lift."

"No, I've got this. You keep an eye on the boys," she responded. "If I'm not back in a half hour, come find me and we'll go home...?" Guy nodded.

She walked to Julie and Guy could see her bend down to talk to the sleeping goalie. Connie managed to help her up by the waist and the two stumbled across the crowd of people towards the bathroom. The music was blasting louder than ever and it seemed the whole house was on a different level of partying. The craziness caused Connie to feel more of the buzz but somehow she pushed through the maze of bodies and opened the door to the small bathroom. Once inside, she sat Julie down on the closed toilet seat. She locked the door, took a deep breath and wiped away some of the sweat on her forehead.

"Alright Jules, tell me... How you doing?" the brunette asked.

"Not so good...ughhh," Julie groaned as she put her head between her legs. "Grow uhh," she mumbled.

"What was that?" Connie put her hand on her friend's shoulder.

"Throw up...ughhh" the blonde replied in pain.

"Oh shit, come here," Connie said in a hurried voice. She brought Julie down to the floor and lifted the toilet seat. Holding Julie's hair back, Connie soothed the drunken girl. "Bombs away kiddo."

The wretches of Julie's vomiting filled the bathroom. Connie scrunched her face and tried not to breath. "There ya go Jules." She patted her back encouragingly and handed the girl a couple of tissues when she finished.

"Thanks Cons. You're the best," she replied wearily.

Connie lifted her up slowly and the pair made their way out of the bathroom and back into the party. Much to Connie's dislike, the atmosphere was getting to her head and the three beers seemed to be doing their job.

"Okay Jules, I'm going to get you to the sofa. Just sit there and chill," she told the Julie as they pushed through the crowd looking for an unoccupied seat. Once it was spotted, Connie made a beeline for it. She carefully sat the tired girl on one end of the sofa and sighed contently. "Ahh, here we go. You gonna be good here? I'm just gonna go check on Guy and I'll be right back."

"Mmmmm..." Julie replied with closed eyes. Connie took that as a yes and took a step backwards to take a deep breath. She took in the scene around her. Dozens of people were partying. After three beers and taking care of Julie, she could barely stand the atmosphere around her.

"Is your friend going to be okay?" a deep voice cut through the air and into her ear. Connie turned to see who the voice belonged to. "She doesn't look too good," the boy continued and took a swig of his bottled beer.

"Uh well, I think she'll be okay. Just gotta let her rest for a while," she managed to spit out. Connie studied the boy in front of her. He was tall, built and had his hair combed back into a clean style. He looked like a preppy but dressed more like Charlie. "Thanks for asking...umm.."

"Justin," he answered coolly and stuck out his hand for her to shake. Connie was hesitant to reach out and shake his hand but she also didn't want to appear rude.

"Connie," she gently extended her hand and have a polite smile.

"Well it's nice to meet you Connie," he looked her in the eye and for a moment her eyes were glued to him. Before things got awkward. She broke contact and looked down.

"I see you don't have a drink in your hand. Want one?" he asked whole swinging his beer in between his thumb, index and middle finger.

"No I'm okay really. I'm actually leaving soon," she declined.

"Come onnn. Just one beer," Justin asked with a tipsy grin on his face. "It's not everyday I get to meet a pretty girl like yourself." He grabbed a fresh beer from a nearby table and held it out for her.

Eager to shut him up, Connie took the bottle out of his hand and raised it to her lips. When she wasn't looking, Justin took the opportunity to eye her up and down, sending cocky nod to one of his buddies standing closeby.

Connie pulled away from the beer and have another glance to Julie to see how she was doing but mainly to avoid eye contact with Justin. By this time, a couple of his friends made their way closer to the pair, acting as though they weren't aware of Justin's actions.

"So how'd you hear about this party?" Connie asked nervously without breaking looking away from Julie.

"Oh you know, friend of a friend," he replied with a look that said he was mentally undressing her. When Connie turned back to face him, he played it cool. "I don't actually go to Eden Academy. Not really my style," he smirked.

"So then what is your style?" Connie challenged. While she was nowhere near the school spirit type, a jab at Eden Hall was also a jab at her.

Justin laughed to himself and shook his head slightly. "Well if you hang around tonight, maybe you'll find out," he winked and drank his beer with so much arrogance it made Connie dislike this conversation even more.

"Thanks for the beer but I've got to go," she placed her drink down on a table indignantly. "You enjoy the rest of your night."

"Hey come on now, the party is just getting started. Finish your beer with me," he said with a drunken laugh. His other friends were also egging her on while laughing.

"Don't leave a man hanging!"

"Come on sweetie, relax!"

Before she could even fight back, she felt a hand touch her arm.

"Hey, you ready to go?" Guy asked. Connie could tell he'd been watching the guys harass her for at least a few minutes. His face and jaw were hard and tense and he couldn't stop staring them down. Even if he watched them for those last few moments she knew that that was enough for him to lose it. She prayed he didn't hear anymore.

"Yea just about ready," she looked up at him and tried to get him to break eye contact with the boys, who seemed to be standing up straighter and closer to the pair. Guy's presence was a threat and they were angry their little drunken game was interrupted. Connie put her hand on his arm. "I just need to wake Julie up, okay?" she said calmly, trying to get Guy's attention. Guy met her eyes with his own and started to relax his muscles. He took a step back to let Connie pass towards the sofa that was several feet away. As she tried to wake Julie up, Guy threw the boys a hard look and turned to walk in her direction.

"Too bad Connie, you really could've had a nice night with me," Justin said over Guy's shoulder as his friends jeered around him. The blonde boy stopped in his tracks.

Hearing those words, Connie turned away from Julie to look straight at Guy. She begged him with her eyes not to do anything. He took a deep breath and closed his fists but didn't turn around to face the boys.

"I promise you... it would've been worthwhile," Justin egged on with a dirty smile.

Guy, whose knuckles were turning white, spun around to walk straight up to them. Connie jumped up from her place next to Julie and pulled him back by his midsection. "Guy," she warned. "Just walk away."

"Yea Guy, just walk away..." Justin taunted him and nodded a kiss to Connie. Guy lost it.

"You need to learn to shut your mouth," he breathed and advanced towards them causing the group to approach him. Connie grabbed on to the back of his shirt. "Guy don't!" she yelled, looking around frantically for any Duck.

By this point, Connie lost hold of his shirt which let Guy push Justin with enough force, causing him to throw wild punches, one landing right on the side of Guy's face. Guy retaliated with a jab to his cheek. One of Justin's friends jumped in and now it was two against one. Connie stepped up to pull him back. Before she knew it, Charlie picked her up and set her aside as Adam and Fulton intervened and pulled Guy away by the chest. His face was bruised and painted with anger, the corner of his eyebrow slightly bleeding.

Adam dragged him by his shirt towards the front of the house. Charlie led Connie on the same direction with a line of ducks following along.

"Charlie wait, I have to get Julie!" she exclaimed.

"Don't worry, Adam will take care of her," he countered and kept leading her outside. The fight sobered Charlie up just enough for him to handle the situation.

Once outside in the cool air, the adrenaline subsided. Guy was pacing back and forth slowly to catch his breath. Adam, Fulton, Charlie and Connie stood around.

"You guys should go home," Fulton stated flatly over the loud music coming from inside. "Are you alright, Guy?"

Guy stopped and looked at an upset Connie who wouldn't make eye contact with him. "Yea yea I'm good."

Charlie took Connie aside as the other two boys talked to Guy. "Are you okay? Did those guys hurt you?"

"No no, they were just being assholes. I'm okay," she nodded unconvincingly but Charlie took that as a yes for now.

He threw a nod to Guy's direction. "Take it easy on him."

"Just get Julie home okay?" Connie dodged the remark but she knew Charlie would follow through.

He sighed. "You got it," he threw her a look and walked back inside the house with Fulton and Adam. "Let's go back inside boys."

Guy, with his bruised face, looked at her for a moment. He knew that she was angry with him for getting involved. He could've just walked away but the words Justin was throwing at him made it too hard. He reached his hand out to touch her arm but she turned away from him and walked towards his car. Guy sighed and followed.

* * *

The car ride was quiet. Guy kept both hands on the steering wheel and focused his attention on the road. Everyone 30 seconds he switched his attention from the road to the brunette in the passenger seat. Her legs were crossed and she stared straight into the side window. Guy knew he made a mistake by getting into that fight. He knew that she hated when he got involved. There were a handful of physical scuffles during their _relationship_ and most of the time, it was because someone was dumb enough to test Guy's patience. Whether it was on the ice or at some random party, even the slightest mention of _her_ name from someone else's mouth threw him off. Sometimes she wasn't even present during the fights. But seeing his bruised eye or cut up lip the next day always gave away him away. Guy never apologized for fighting. He was just sorry that he upset her by doing so.

The silence between them worsened everything and he couldn't let her go home upset. Guy let go of the steering wheel with his right hand and reached over to lace his fingers with hers. She didn't reject the contact but she also wasn't too eager to hold his hand and he could sense it.

"I'm sorry," Guy said softly while stroking her hand with his thumb. He kept his eyes on the road but the tone of his voice said it all. "I should've walked away," he added.

Connie sighed and her head turned towards the road. She covered their hands with her other one and started playing with the back of his hand with her fingers. "I can fight my own battles, Guy."

"I know...it's just some on the shit he was saying..." he replied and quickly looked at her before turning back to the road. "I couldn't help it."

"He was an ass," Connie started. "but fighting just makes everything worse. I don't need you to throw fists every single time some jerk says that shit to _us_."

He continued stroking her hand with his thumb. To Connie, fighting wasn't a question of his protection or care. It was a matter of constantly watching him end up all bruised and bloodied up, knowing that he'll most likely have to go through it again sometime soon.

"I'm sorry for always putting you through this," he said once more. Thanks to the red light they stopped at, Guy was able to look at Connie with apologetic eyes and a matching smile.

She turned to him with a failing look of disapproval and chuckled at his beat up puppy dog eyes. She reached out to put her hand on his bruised cheek and frowned. "God, look at your face. What are you going to tell Orion on Monday?"

"I think he'll be pretty happy that I was defending a teammate," he laughed and took his foot off the break at the light change.

* * *

The rest of the drive continued with comfortable small talk. Seeing as it was close to four in the morning, neither one of them wanted to do more than just enjoy each other's company. About 15 minutes later, Guy pulled up to her house. He could see that the living room lamp was still on, meaning Connie's parents knew she wasn't coming home early. He turned the engine off and stared straight through the windshield.

"Phew, what a night," he sighed contently and turned towards her. She responded with a glare. Guy chuckled. "How are you feeling?"

"Not as bad as I thought I'd be actually," Connie replied feeling somewhat proud. She looked at him as he shook his head with a laugh. He turned his attention back to the dawn-approaching sky beyond his windshield.

"Guy, about before," she started while playing with the edge of her jacket sleeve. "You don't know how bad I wanted to..."

Guy looked down at his hands and nodded. He reached across to grab her hand just like he did earlier on their drive home. "I know, I know." Connie rubbed his outstretched arm up and down with her fingers. "But it's what we have to do, right?" he asked her more so as an affirmation rather than a question.

She nodded while looking at their intertwined fingers unsure if she was able to look at him while she agreed. "Yea, for now."

"For now," he repeated. Guy released his fingers. "You should head inside. It's getting really late...or early...whichever way you look at it."

Connie let out a chuckle. "Yea you're right. Good night," she offered with a sleepy smile.

"Good night beautiful," he replied with a matching expression.

Connie unlocked her seat belt and stepped out into the early morning cold. Before she made her way towards the front porch, she heard the passenger side window roll down. She turned around to see Guy leaning towards the passenger side.

"I'll see you tomorrow?" he called out, letting her know that the night's events didn't change a thing.

Connie smiled knowingly. She looked at him and nodded. "Yea, you will."


	2. If Things Could Be Different

This chapter is a little darker. It's my first time writing this kind of material but I hope you like it!

* * *

"What'd you get for number 14?"

"X equals 47"

"What? But…how?"

"You have to divide, remember?"

"That's what I did!" the brunette huffed.

Julie chuckled. "You divided by the wrong number, Cons."

"What?" Connie double checked her work, catching the mistake she made in her problem set. Julie shook her head in amusement. "Ugh, I give up. I can't do this anymore," Connie threw her pencil into the middle of the textbook.

"No, no! We have one more question and then we're free!" Julie grabbed the pencil and put it back in Connie's hand. She responded to the goalie with a solid pout. "Look, the faster we get this done, the closer we are to the weekend."

Connie groaned but conceded. "You're right. Let's get this done and over with." She erased her previous work and focused her attention on rewriting the equation and correct answer. "I still can't believe Ms. Diaz made a problem set due at 3:30pm…on a Friday. Like who does that?"

"The devil." Julie snorted and watched her friend finish the problem. Connie hastily dusted the eraser residue covering her sheet, before looking up at the clock above the librarian's desk, something that didn't get past Julie.

 _2:41pm_

"Relax, Connie. We have plenty of time to finish this last problem before we have to turn it in," Julie said.

"It's not that. I told someone I'd meet them exactly at 3:15pm," she replied while scamming over the final question.

"Let me guess. He's blonde, plays hockey and is uhh, how do you say…ruggedly handsome or was it amazingly stupid?"

Connie laughed at Julie's antics. "That he is."

"I'm sure he'd understand if you were a little late, right?" Julie asked, slightly confused by Connie's need to meet Guy at such an exact time.

"Well, we kind of have to get on the road by then," Connie said nonchalantly and began marking her sheet with the number of the question.

"Ok, I'm kind of lost. Are you guys back together and sneaking away on a date none of us know about?" Julie asked. The two girls usually informed each other about weekend plans. Seeing as one lived on campus and the other didn't, they liked to keep up with each other in case one of their plans went downhill.

Connie threw her a playful glare. "No, it's nothing like that. We just have to go somewhere…" she trailed off, averting her eyes back to the math problem.

"Cons, is everything okay?" Julie asked in a serious tone. Knowing it will be the topic of conversation in the near future anyway, the Velvet Hammer let her guard down.

"Guy and I are going to visit his mom." Connie looked at Julie, unsure of how she'd interpret that statement.

"His mom?" Julie asked with a frown. "I thought she wasn't in his life anymore."

"Well, technically she isn't…" Connie trailed off, debating whether or not to continue but Julie's demeanor showed true concern for her male counterpart. She knew little of Guy's background and Connie's hesitance was telling her that it was indeed, something that needed to be kept hush hush.

But seeing that Julie was genuinely worried, Connie gave in. "Promise me this stays between you and me. You can't tell anyone."

"I swear." Julie moved in closer.

"Guy's mom has been in and out of rehab for the past few years," Connie said quietly. "Addiction. She started going sometime after the Goodwill Games. That's why he lives with his grandparents."

"Connie…Wow, I didn't-," Julie couldn't find the right words to respond. It was news to her. She was shocked that the kind and charming guy she's known for 5 years was able to keep something so private. Then again, she realized Guy's family was never really brought up in conversation among their friends. "Gosh, it must be so hard on him."

"It was…more so when he was younger," Connie was tapping her pencil against the textbook, silently recalling his childhood.

"Is-…what about his dad?" Julie asked somewhat wary of Connie's response.

"His dad was a drunk…pretty violent one," she breathed out. "He was always coming and going. I think it's how she got caught up in the addiction."

"And Guy?" the goalie inquired, still unsure if she wanted to push this conversation far enough to know the answer.

Connie cleared her throat but continued. "Guy…uhh…he got it pretty bad sometimes." She looked as though she was on the verge of tears. "The Ducks were always by his side but they didn't know how bad it was. He would come into school with bruises and he'd just make some excuse to get the teachers off his back. But eventually…"

Julie nodded in understanding. She looked away. The thought of someone putting their hands on Guy shook her a bit. It hurt and she could see that it hurt Connie to see him grow up in all the mess.

"You know the scar on his shoulder blade?" Connie's question brought Julie back into focus. She nodded in return. "It wasn't from a rollerblading accident like he says it. Neither is the one across his rib."

Julie pulled away and supported her head with a fist, visibly upset. "God, Connie…I can't-…don't want to believe this. I mean…this is Guy we're talking about."

"I know. None of us did either," she offered a small, reassuring smile. "You would think something like this would ruin a person but Guy is…different." Connie was trying to explain something that took herself quite some time to figure out. She was grateful for who he was. "He's kind and loving and…nothing like his father. He's so…good, you know?"

"Good enough to even visit his mother at rehab," Julie confirmed to herself aloud. "I admire how brave he is."

The brunette nodded. "They were very close…protecting each other when they had too. For a while, he was resentful towards her but he says ever since the court granted him monthly visits last year, he's willing to rebuild what they had."

"And you go with him every month?" Julie asked with a soft smile.

Connie couldn't help but chuckle a little. "Not at first. He didn't want me to get caught up in his family mess. But I convinced him that he wasn't alone in this and he came around."

"You know we love him too and we have his back." Julie placed her palm on her friend's shoulder and shot her an honest look. "He's lucky to have you, Cons. You're the reason he's so good. You're everything he's never had."

The brunette blushed and smiled shyly her friend. For the first time, Connie may have realized what Julie was saying. The goalie laughed slightly, knowing Connie didn't know how to respond.

"Come on, Moreau. Let's get you going on the last question, yeah?"

* * *

Guy pulled up to the familiar house that sat just a few streets over from his. His eyes were glued to the three story structure. He knew this house like the back of his hand. It brought back every happy childhood memory he shared with his Ducks, from snowball fights in the street to playing hide and seek across the whole block. He loved every inch of it.

But it also reminded him of the not-so-good times…when he was too afraid to back to his own house after such a great day; when he would push for another round of poker or cops and robbers so that it prolonged the time away from home. If there was some constant reminder of his youth, it would be this very place.

Connie watched him. At 17, Guy had already been through hell and back. She could see it just by looking at him. She caught glimpses of the little boy who just wanted to hang out with his friends for as long as he could. She knew _him_ like the back of her hand and after having grown so involved in his life, she could sometimes feel the pain too.

"Let's go sit on the porch," Connie pulled his attention away. He nodded and unbuckled his seatbelt to exit the car. Connie did the same and walked towards the house. Her house.

Guy situated himself on the top step, laying his back against the column and stretching his legs out. Connie took the step below him and mirrored his position, facing him on the other side of the porch.

"I told her about our last game," Guy said breaking the moment of silence. "How I scored a couple of goals and you did too…and that we won. She'd like to see me play…like when she used to when I was no-good District 5 kid falling all over the pond." The pair chuckled together.

"I think she'd be happy to see how good of a player you are now," Connie reassured him.

"Yea…" he averted his eyes from her to the empty street. "Maybe she'll see how everything else is good now too."

Gently grabbing one of his hands with both of hers, she spoke. "You okay?"

He looked at the conjoined hands and sighed. "I want to look past what that bastard turned her into. I want to believe in her again...as my mom and not a junkie…I just don't know how or if I should or-" he choked out quietly. "I wish things could be different."

"Hey, look at me," she said softly and he did as he was told. "After everything you've been through, you're handling it pretty well. But it's going to take time, okay? I know seeing her that way hasn't be easy but if this is what you truly want, you'll get there, Guy," she said rubbing his arm soothingly. "And I'm here for you, for as long as you need me to."

He brought the back of her hand to his lips and kissed it to show his gratitude. "C'mere."

Guy brought one of his legs down a step and pulled the other towards his chest, giving the brunette just enough space to settle in between. She rested her back against his chest, placing her head in the crook of his neck. Guy hugged her firmly and she reached up to caress the side of his face, reminding him that he's here and that things will be okay.

"I'm sorry for the way things are," she assured him softly. "You deserve better."

"You _make_ me better, Connie Moreau," Guy said into her ear. Connie closed her eyes to stop the tears from falling. He kissed her cheek. "Thank you."

And they stayed as they were, watching the sun set over the house, just like did they all those years.


End file.
